VYSOKÉ UČENÍ TECHNICKÉ V BRNĚ BRNO UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY FAKULTA PODNIKATELSKÁ ÚSTAV INFORMATIKY FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE OF INFORMATICS I NF OR MA TI ON S YS TE M F O R E S N S E C TI O N INFORMAČNÍ SYSTÉM PRO ESN SEKCI B A K A L Á ŘS K Á P RÁ CE BACHELOR'S THESIS A U TO R P RÁ CE F R A NTI Š E K H RO MA DA AUTHOR V E D O U CÍ P RÁ C E SUPERVISOR BRNO 2013 I n g . J a n L u h a n P h . D. Abstract Bachelor thesis mainly focuses on designing an information s ys t e m w h i c h s u p p o r t s m a i n p r o c e s s e s o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t u d e n t s Club of Brno University of Technology and other sections of Erasmus Student Network. Thesis contains theoretical part, a n a l ys i s o f c u r r e n t s t a t e a n d p r o p o s a l o f i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m . Abstra kt Bakalářská informačního práce systému se zaměřuje pro především podporu na v yt v o ř e n í hlavních procesů M e d z i n á r o d n í h o s t u d e n t s k é h o k l u b u V ys o k é h o u č e n í t e c h n i c k é h o v B r n ě a j i n ýc h s e k c í E r a s m u s S t u d e n t N e t w o r k . P r á c e o b s a h u j e teoretickou část, popis současného stavu, jeho souhrn a návrh i n f o r m a č n í h o s ys t é m u . Keyw ords I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m , d a t a b a s e , b u d d y s y s t e m , I S C V U T , E S N , Erasmus Klíčov á slo va I n f o r m a č n í s ys t é m , d a t a b á z e , b u d d y s y s t e m , I S C V U T , E S N , Erasmus Bibliog ra phical quo ta tion o f the thesis HROMADA, F. Information System For ESN Section. Brno: Brno U n i v e r s i t y o f T e c h n o l o g y, F a c u l t y o f B u s i n e s s a n d M a n a g e m e n t , 2012. 68 p. Supervisor: Ing. J an Luhan Ph.D. Čestné pro hlášení Prohlašuji, že předložená bakalářská práce je zpracoval jsem ji samostatně. Prohlašuji, že původní a c i t a c e p o u ž i t ýc h pramenů je úplná, že jsem ve své práci neporušil autorská práva ( v e s m ys l u Z á k o n a č . 1 2 1 / 2 0 0 0 S b . , o p r á v u a u t o r s k é m a o p r á v e c h s o u v i s e j í c í c h s p r á v e m a u t o r s k ým ) . V Brně dne 31. května 2013 Sta tuto ry decla ra tion I hereby declare that this bachelor thesis has been written by me without any external unauthorized help, that it has been neither presented published. to All any institution used for information evaluation sour ces are nor previously properly including complete reference to the original work. In Brno, 31st May 2013 ............................... František Hromada cited Acknow ledg ments I am grateful to Ing. Jan Luhan PhD., my supervisor, for providing me with support and information, which allowed me to shape the thesis to meet the content requirements. I am also grateful to Ing. J akub Šiška MSc. , alumni of ISC VUT, for his time and valuable suggestions. I would like to thank to ISC VUT Brno, m y home section of Erasmus Student Network which gave my inspiration and support when was needed. Last not least I would like to thank all people from ESN Czech Republic and ESN international who shared their knowledge and experiences to (ISC VUT Brno 2013) made this thesis possible. Table of co ntent Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 10 1 2 Theoretical background .......................................................................................... 12 1.1 Data, information and knowledge ........................ 12 1.2 I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 1.3 ICT ................................................................ 13 1.4 Software ......................................................... 14 1.5 Hardware ........................................................ 15 1.6 Orgware .......................................................... 15 1.7 Peopleware ...................................................... 15 1.8 Management .................................................... 16 1.9 Database ......................................................... 16 1.10 Entity–relationship model .................................. 17 1.11 Implementation of IS ........................................ 20 Current situation analysis........................................................................................ 22 2.1 Organization background ISC VUT Brno .............. 22 2.2 Board ............................................................. 23 2.3 Team .............................................................. 23 2.4 Board positions description ................................ 23 2.5 Team positions description ................................ 25 2.6 Internal Communication structure ....................... 31 2.7 Active internal communication ........................... 31 2.8 Passive internal communication .......................... 36 2.9 B u d d y s ys t e m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8 2.10 Events ............................................................ 39 2.11 Human resources management ............................ 41 2.12 3 Evaluation ....................................................... 42 Proposal .................................................................................................................. 43 3.1 Database ......................................................... 44 3.2 Modules .......................................................... 49 3.3 Forms ............................................................. 50 3.4 Description of processes .................................... 52 3.5 User groups ..................................................... 57 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 58 References ....................................................................................................................... 60 List of figures .................................................................................................................. 62 List of tables.................................................................................................................... 62 Appendices...................................................................................................................... 64 Introductio n The Erasmus Programme (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is flagship project of European Union (EU) in field of education established in 1987 as part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme 2007 –2013 (NAEP 2013). Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is one of the biggest interdisciplinary student associations in Europe. It was established on 16th October 1989 and legally registered in 1990 for supporting and developing student exchange. ESN has 12.000 members from 427 local sections in 36 countries working on a volunteer base in Higher Education Institutions and offering services to 160.000 students (ESN AISBL 2013) . Erasmus Student Network Czech Republic (ESN CZ) is member since 2001 and currently has 15 local sections with mission is to foster student mobility in Czech Higher Education under the principle of Stude nts Helping Students. All together sections of ESN CZ help roughly 4 000 international students every a c a d e m i c ye a r . ( E S N C Z 2 0 1 3 ) International Student Club of Brno University of Technology (ISC VUT Brno) was established in 2 004 with just 40 ex change students. Today is taking care around 450 exchange students per a c a d e m i c ye a r w i t h m a i n a c t i v i t i e s a s b u d d y s ys t e m a n d e v e n t s organizing (ISC VUT Brno 2013) . ISC VUT Brno has growing number of ex change students over t h e ye a r s w h i c h r e q u i r e d a d d i t i o n a l v o l u n t e e r s . L a r g e r a m o u n t o f human capital needs appropriate management and therefore came idea of this bachelor thesis to design a tool for the process management of ESN section. 10 ESN network stand on the idea of mutual sharing of best p r a c t i c e s a n d k n o w h o w s o t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m w o u l d b e available to other ESN sections, which would provide also valuable feedback from larger user base. During my work I will rely on my experiences on different levels of ESN - observing member, president of the section, who helped establish many processes and as National Representative of ESN CZ, who attended many international events and had possibility to confront ideas with other sections of the network. For the analysis part I will combine previous experiences with my knowledge acquired during studies to describe main processes of an ESN section, followed by design proposal of i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m , w h i c h s h o u l d m a k e d e s c r i b e d p r o c e s s e s m o r e e f f e c t i v e , r e s u l t i n g i n h i g h e r s t a f f e f f i c i e n c y a n d p r o d u c t i v i t y. 11 1 Theo retical backg ro und Theoretical part should provide introduction to the p r o b l e m a t i c o f i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m s . F u r t h e r o n t h e r e w i l l b e a d e s c r i p t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m c o m p o n e n t s and process of implementation. 1 .1 D a t a , i n f o r ma t i o n a n d kn o w l e d g e The terms data, information and knowledge are frequently m i s u s e d a s s yn o n y m s . T h e m a i n d i f f e r e n c e i s i n t h e l e v e l o f abstraction where. data is the lowest level of abstraction, information is second, and on the top is knowledge (VALAC ICH, 2007, p. 20). Figure 1: Data, information, knowledge(VALACICH, 2007, p. 20). Data itself has no meaning. Data can be transformed into information by interpretation if they have a meaning for subject . Therefore they can create knowledge base for decision making and also for better data transformation. 12 1 .2 I n f o r ma t i o n s y s t e m I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m ( I S ) i n c l u d e s p r o c e d u r e s , d a t a , s o f t w a r e , a n d h a r d w a r e t h a t a r e u s e d t o g a t h e r a n d a n a l yz e i n f o r m a t i o n . T h e main aim of IS is to make decision -making, processes and information management effective. (VALAC ICH, 2007, p. 28) However, the term IS and information technologies ( IT) are often used interchangeably, which might cause confusion . Word IT refers to the technology, while IS also incorporates how it should be managed and applied to the organization . 1 .3 I CT Information and C ommunication Technology is often used as a s yn o n ym f o r I T . I n a v e r y b r o a d s e n s e , t h e t e r m i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m i s a l s o u s e d t o r e f e r t o t h e i n t e r a c t i o n b e t w e e n p e o p l e , p r o c e s s e s , d a t a , a n d t e c h n o l o g y. I n t h i s s e n s e , t h e t e r m i s u s e d t o refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) an organizati on uses, but also to the way how people interact with this technology (LAUDON, 2009, p. 35). Clear distinction between information s ys t e m s , computer s ys t e m s a n d b u s i n e s s p r o c e s s e s c a n b e m a d e b a s e d u p o n t h e i r m a i n p u r p o s e . I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m s i n c l u d e a n I C T b u t t h e y a r e n o t p u r e l y b a s e d o n i t . I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m s a r e m o r e f o c u s i n g o n t h e end usage of IT. Business/organizational predefined steps, which processes resemble are behaviour description of of information s ys t e m s . H o w e v e r f o r d e s i g n i n g a i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m y o u a l r e a d y need to know processes description and m ain aim of IS is to manage them effectively. 13 Software Hardware Orgware Database Peopleware Management Figure 2: Information system (KOCH, 2010, p. 5) 1 .4 S o f t w a r e Software, is defined as set of instructions that directs a computer's processor to execute specific operations. Naming is in c o n t r a s t w i t h c o m p u t e r h a r d w a r e , t h e p h ys i c a l o b j e c t s ( p r o c e s s o r and related devices) that carry out the instructions (BRANDON, 2006, p. 42). On most computer platforms, software can be grouped into a few broad categories: a. System software is the basic software needed for a computer t o o p e r a t e ( m o s t n o t a b l y t h e o p e r a t i n g s ys t e m ) . b. Application software is all the software that uses the c o m p u t e r s ys t e m t o p e r f o r m u s e f u l w o r k b e yo n d t h e o p e r a t i o n of the computer itself. c. Embedded software resides as firmware within embedded s ys t e m s , d e v i c e s d e d i c a t e d t o a s i n g l e u s e . I n t h a t c o n t e x t 14 there is no clear distinction between the s ys t e m and application software. 1 .5 H a r d w a r e C o m p u t e r h a r d w a r e i s c o l l e c t i o n o f p h ys i c a l e l e m e n t s t h a t c o n s t i t u t e a c o m p u t e r s ys t e m . C o m p u t e r h a r d w a r e r e f e r s t o t h e p h ys i c a l p a r t s o r c o m p o n e n t s o f a c o m p u t e r s u c h a s m o n i t o r , k e yb o a r d , Computer data storage, hard drive disk, mouse, p r i n t e r s , C P U ( g r a p h i c c a r d s , s o u n d c a r d s , m e m o r y, m o t h e r b o a r d and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that you can actuall y touch. In contrast, software is untouchable (BRANDON, 2006, p. 40). 1 .6 O r gw a r e Orgware is set of recommended rules set up by organization, w h i c h s h o u l d b e a p p l i e d d u r i n g w o r k w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m . (KOCH, 2010, p. 5) 1 .7 P e o p l e w a r e P e o p l e w a r e c a n r e f e r t o a n yt h i n g t h a t h a s t o d o w i t h t h e r o l e of people in the development or use of computer software and hardware s ys t e m s , including such issues as developer p r o d u c t i v i t y, t e a m w o r k , g r o u p d yn a m i c s , t h e p s yc h o l o g y o f programming, project management, organizational factors, human interface design, and human -machine-interaction. The concept of peopleware in the software community covers a variety of aspects (ACUNA, 2005, p. 9 -11): Development of productive persons Organizational culture Organizational learning Development of productive teams, and Modelling of human competencies. 15 1 .8 Ma n a g e me n t Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of coordinating the efforts of people to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and e f f e c t i v e l y. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group o f one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources. (BRANDON, 2006, p. 52-56). 1 .9 D a t a b a s e Database is an organized collection of data and refer s to the l o g i c a l d a t a b a s e , t o p h ys i c a l d a t a b a s e a s d a t a c o n t e n t i n c o m p u t e r data storage or to many other database sub -definitions. The term database is correctly applied to the data and their supporting data structures, and not to the database management s ys t e m ( D B M S ) . T h e d a t a b a s e d a t a c o l l e c t i o n w i t h D B M S i s c a l l e d a d a t a b a s e s ys t e m ( E L M A S R I , 2 0 0 3 , p . 2 2 - 2 4 ) . T h e t e r m d a t a b a s e s ys t e m i m p l i e s t h a t t h e d a t a i s m a n a g e d t o s o m e l e v e l o f q u a l i t y ( m e a s u r e d i n t e r m s o f a c c u r a c y, a v a i l a b i l i t y, u s a b i l i t y, a n d r e s i l i e n c e ) a n d t h i s i n t u r n o f t e n i m p l i e s t h e u s e o f a g e n e r a l - p u r p o s e d a t a b a s e m a n a g e m e n t s ys t e m ( D B M S ) ( E L M A S R I , 2003, p.48). A g e n e r a l - p u r p o s e D B M S i s t yp i c a l l y a c o m p l e x s o f t w a r e s ys t e m t h a t m e e t s m a n y u s a g e r e q u i r e m e n t s , a n d t h e d a t a b a s e s t h a t it maintains are often large and complex. The utilization of databases is now spread to such a wide degree that virtually every technology and product relies on databases and DBMSs for its 16 development and commercialization, or even may have such embedded in it. Also, organizations and companies, from small to large, heavily depend on databases for their operations. Well known DBMSs, Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL S e r v e r , P o s t g r e S Q L , M yS Q L , S Q L i t e . A database is not generally portable across different DBMS, but different DBMSs can inter -operate to some degree by using standards like SQL and ODBC to support together a single application. A DBMS also needs to provide effective run -time execution to properl y support (e.g., in terms of performance, a v a i l a b i l i t y, and s e c u r i t y) as many end -users as needed (CHURCHER, 2007, p. 38). 1 .1 0 E n t i t y – r e l a t i o n s h i p mo d e l Entity–relationship model (ER model) is a data model for d e s c r i b i n g a d a t a b a s e i n a n a b s t r a c t w a y. I n t h e c a s e o f a r e l a t i o n a l database, which stores data in tables, some of the data in these t a b l e s p o i n t t o d a t a i n o t h e r t a b l e s - f o r i n s t a n c e , yo u r e n t r y i n t h e database could point to several entries for each of the phone numbers that are yours. T h e E R m o d e l w o u l d s a y t h a t yo u a r e a n e n t i t y, a n d e a c h p h o n e n u m b e r i s a n e n t i t y, a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n yo u a n d the phone numbers is 'has a phone number'. Diagrams created to design these entities and relationships are called entity – relationship diagrams or ER diagrams. (ELMASRI, 2003, p. 52 -53). 17 Figure 3: Example of relationship diagram (ELMASRI, 2003, p. 52). 1.10.1 Conceptual data model This is the highest level ER model in that it contains the least granular detail but establishes the overall scope of what is to be included within the model set. The conceptual ER model normally defines master reference data entities that are common ly used by the organization. Developing an enterprise -wide conceptual ER model is useful to support documenting the data architecture for an organization (ELMASRI, 2003, p. 56) . A conceptual ER model may be used as the foundation for one or more logical data models. The purpose of the conceptual ER model is then to establish structural metadata commonality for the master data entities between the set of logical ER models. The conceptual data relationships model between ER may be used to as basis models a form for commonality data model integration. 1.10.2 Logical data model A logical ER model does not require a conceptual ER model, especially if the scope of the logical ER model is to develop a s i n g l e d i s p a r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m . T h e l o g i c a l E R m o d e l c o n t a i n s more detail than the conceptual ER model. In addition to master 18 data entities, operational and transactional data entities are now defined. (CHURCHER, 2007, p. 47) The details of each data entity are developed and the entity relationships between these data entities are established. The logical ER model is however developed independent of technology into which it will be implemented. 1.10.3 Physical model O n e o r m o r e p h ys i c a l E R m o d e l s m a y b e d e v e l o p e d f r o m e a c h l o g i c a l E R m o d e l . T h e p h ys i c a l E R m o d e l i s n o r m a l l y d e v e l o p e d t o be instantiated as a database. T h e r e f o r e , e a c h p h ys i c a l E R m o d e l m u s t c o n t a i n e n o u g h d e t a i l t o p r o d u c e a d a t a b a s e a n d e a c h p h ys i c a l E R m o d e l i s t e c h n o l o g y d e p e n d e n t s i n c e e a c h d a t a b a s e m a n a g e m e n t s ys t e m i s somewhat different. The p h ys i c a l model is normally forward engineered to instantiate the structural metadata into a database management s ys t e m a s r e l a t i o n a l d a t a b a s e o b j e c t s s u c h a s d a t a b a s e t a b l e s , database indexes such as unique key indexes, and database constraints such as a foreign key con straint or a commonality constraint. The ER model is also normally used to design modifications to the relational database objects and to maintain the structural metadata of the database. T h e f i r s t s t a g e o f i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m d e s i g n u s e s t h e s e models during the requirements analysis to describe information n e e d s o r t h e t yp e o f i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t i s t o b e s t o r e d i n a d a t a b a s e . The data modelling technique can be used to describe any ontology for a certain area of interest (ELMASRI, 2003, p. 59). 19 I n t h e c a s e o f t h e d e s i g n o f a n i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m t h a t i s based on a database, the conceptual data model is, at a later stage, mapped to a logical data model, such as the relational model; this i n t u r n i s m a p p e d t o a p h ys i c a l m o d e l d u r i n g p h ys i c a l d e s i g n . 1 .1 1 I mp l e me n t a t i o n o f I S Preliminary analysis Solution proposal System settings Testing Training of users Convert static data Filling the initial states Launch Figure 4: Implementation of IS (BRANDON, 2006, p. 84) 1.11.1 P r e l i m i n a r y a n a l ys i s P u r p o s e o f t h i s a n a l ys i s i s t o m a p a l l c u r r e n t p r o c e s s e s a n d mutual connections between them. Also includes a description of the organization operations and new requirements for processes that have not been resolved or are planned for the future. 1.11.2 Solution proposal Knowledge obtained during initial a n a l ys i s is used for detailed description of work processes in the new IS. This new solution along the bring changes in organization workflow to g r e a t e r e f f i c i e n c y. 20 1.11.3 System settings All planned features and data binding function need to set up t h e s ys t e m , s u c h a s p a r a m e t e r s , f o u n d a t i o n , s e q u e n t i a l l y n u m b e r e d documents and their mutual interrelationship to meet basic c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s . A f t e r t h a t s ys t e m i s r e a d y f o r f i l l i n g d a t a . 1.11.4 Convert static data In case an organization has alread y owned software, which was processing their data, it is necessary to compare the data transfer t o t h e n e w s ys t e m . D u r i n g t h i s t r a n s i t i o n o f t e n o c c u r c l e a n u p s , sorting and unification. 1.11.5 Training of users User training task is to prep are all workers for the test operation. 1.11.6 Testing At this stage simulates real environment and verifies correct o p e r a t i o n s e t t i n g s o f t h e s ys t e m . 1.11.7 Filling the initial states This is the last task before the final start. Often the old s o f t w a r e i s u s e d d u r i n g t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e n e w s ys t e m a n d c h a n g e t o t h e n e w s ys t e m w i l l t a k e p l a c e f r o m d a y t o d a y. I t i s n e c e s s a r y t o p e r f o r m t h e i n i t i a l f i l l i n g s t a t e v e r y q u i c k l y. T h i s transfer is therefore carried forward. 1.11.8 After Launch start is a supplier of the s ys t e m available as o p e r a t i o n a l s u p p o r t f o r u s e r s . T h r o u g h c o n s u l t a n t s i s t r yi n g t o s o l v e p r o b l e m s o p e r a t i v e l y. A f t e r f e w d a ys u s e r s g e t f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e s ys t e m a n d a r e a b l e t o s w i t c h i n t o s t a n d a r d m o d e s u p p o r t . 21 2 Current situa tion a na lysis This part will prov ide inside look to the ISC VUT Brno. Brief overview organization chart with position description followed by ex plaining communication structure and currently used IT tools. 2 .1 O r g a n i z a t i o n b a c kg r o u n d I S C VU T B r n o International Students Club of Brno Universit y of Technology (in Czech “ V ys o k é učení technické v Brně”) in Brno was established in 2004 and in 2007 joined ESN (Erasmus Student Network). ISC VUT is voluntary based organization with main aim to help foreign exchange students during they stay in Czech Republic.. 2.1.1 Organization structure Figure 5: ISC VUT organization chart (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 22 2 .2 B o a r d Board is the main decision making bod y of ISC VUT. Board consist of president, vice-president, activities coordinator, treasurer, public relations, and section delegate. Decision making process is done by voting and absolute majorit y is needed. In case of draw, president has a casting vote. Board (despite president and vice -president) is elected by members f o r m a n d a t e o f o n e c a l e n d a r ye a r . P r e s i d e n t ’ s m a n d a t e i s o n e ye a r f r o m J u l y u n t i l J u l y. A f t e r e l e c t i o n s p r e s i d e n t s c h o o s e s v i c e president which needs to be approved by Board. 2 .3 T e a m Team is the main executive body of ISC VUT. Team consists of all members which have a responsibility fo r certain field of ISC V U T w h i c h a r e d i v i d e d i n t o s m a l l e r t e a m s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r t yp e o f a c t i v i t y. E v e r y s m a l l e r t e a m h a s a b o a r d m e m b e r w h i c h i s t a k i n g care of it. 2 .4 B o a r d p o s i t i o n s d e s c r i p t i o n 2.4.1 President General responsibility for whole functioning of the ISC VUT Main contact person for exchange students, rectorate of BUT, Halls of Residence of BUT and other institutions 2.4.2 Vice-president Responsible for task management and operabilit y of ISC VUT In charge of board and general meetings Substitutes role of pr esident when is necessary 2.4.3 Activities coordinator Responsible for activities and events for exchange students Creating calendar of events semester 23 in the beginning of every Substitutes event leader in case of unexpected circumstances 2.4.4 Treasurer In charge o f finances and inventory of ISC VUT Responsible for office hours Preparing list of participants of the event 2.4.5 Public Relations Responsible for maintaining positive image among s t a k e h o l d e r s ( e x c h a n g e s t u d e n t s , u n i v e r s i t y, l o c a l s t u d e n t s ) In charge of internal and external communication Promotion of the events on webpage and social media Corporate identity of ISC VUT Weekly newsletter 2.4.6 Section Delegate Main contact person for ESN CZ and ESN international Represents opinion of the section on National platforms and other statutory meetings of ESN Responsible for maintaining good relationship with other organizations with similar activities Implementation of international projects on local level Coordinating participation in external international projec ts Position Leader of President Board Vice-president Vice-president’s team Activities coordinator Activities team Treasurer Open hours team Public Relations Team of Public Relations Section Delegate Section Delegate’s team Table 1: Teams division (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 24 2 .5 T e a m p o s i t i o n s d e s c r i p t i o n 2.5.1 Activities team Head of Presentations of Nations Presentations of Nations - PofN is regular activity which took place in lecture room every Tuesday during semester. Exchange students have possibility to present their country and culture to other students. This may be done via standard presentation with s l i d e s b u t n o w a d a ys a r e s t u d e n t s m o r e c r e a t i v e a n d t h e r e i s possibility to see custom video, interactive content, competitions or even small theatrical performances. R e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r l e c t u r e r o o m ( k e ys a n d c l e a n u p ) Creates schedule of presentations in the beginning of semester Collects presentations in advance to avoid technical difficulties on the spot Helps during rehearsals Event leaders Event leaders are selected by Activities coordinator in the beginning of the semester. In some case selection or changes might be done even during semester. Event leader is: Main responsible person during that specific event Taking care of finances during the event Prepares budget and send it to the Activities coordinator and Treasurer Prepares necessary steps before the event (ordering of transportation, accommodations, reservations etc.) Presentation meeting, of main the event presentation – rehearsal during Nations 25 on the ISC Presentations of VUT the Before event prepares list of participants with name and telephone numbers During the event makes sure that e v e r yt h i n g is going according to the plan however small spontaneous activities are allowed if they are not interfering with the general outcome of the event Request feedback from the participants in spoken or written/online form After the event gives spoken report on the next ISC VUT meeting Languages coordinator Languages coordinator is responsible for Czech for Fun and Tandem language courses. Czech for Fun (Czech4Fun, C4F) is a once in a week activity during which exchange students have possibility to learn Czech language and Czech culture. Less ons are held in a friendlier atmosphere that standard language courses. Tandem language courses are possibility to exchange k n o w l e d g e o f yo u r m o t h e r l a n g u a g e w i t h a n o t h e r n a t i v e s p e a k e r o f t h e l a n g u a g e o f yo u r c h o i c e . Presents possibilities of Czech for Fun and Tandem language courses on the First info meeting Creates open call for participants of Czech4Fun Responsible Czech4Fun lectures Managing Tandem language course pairings Sports coordinator Taking care of communi cation between CESA (Centrum sportovních aktivit v Brně, Centrum of Sports Activities in Brno) and exchange students 26 Help exchange students to enrol into the CESA sport courses Organizing sport events for exchange students Party coordinator Helps with national parties after the presentation of the nations 2.5.2 Open hours team Treasurer with open hours team is responsible for open hours which are currently set two times per week – every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 pm until 8 pm. Providing additional informat ion and help for exchange students Managing sign up for events of ISC VUT Keeping ISC VUT office clean and representative 2.5.3 Vice-president team IT responsible Maintaining computers in the office running and updated M a i n t a i n i n g w e b s i t e , w i k i , i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m o f I S C V U T Communicating with rectorate regarding webhosting issues Administrating communication channels of ISC VUT Helps members with IT related issues Knowledge manager Administrating ISC VUT wiki Requesting reports from the events Collecting feedbacks of events Transferring knowhow from other sections Human resources Recruitment process of new members Interviews with new members 27 Main contact person for new members Helps to integrate new members Teambuilding activities Buddy coordinator Administrating pick -up procedures in the information system if necessary Administrating pairing of buddy and exchange student if necessary Main contact person for buddy students Works closely with Human resources coordinator Fundraiser Main contact person for pa rtners of ISC VUT Maintaining good relationships with current partners Contacting new possible partners 2.5.4 Public relations team Public relations team is responsible for external and internal communication of ISC VUT Brno. Foto responsible Main photographer of ISC VUT Taking photos during ISC VUT events Collecting Editing and publishing pictures in IS C VUT gallery and other currently used medias or social networks Video responsible Main video maker of ISC VUT Taking videos during ISC VUT events Editing and publishing videos in ISC VUT video gallery and other currently used medias or social networks Creation of video promo material 28 Social media coordinator Facebook administrator of ISC VUT page and groups Promotion of ISC VUT events Viral promo activity One to one communication with exchange students Designer Creation of promo posters for ISC VUT events Creation of graphical materials 2.5.5 Section delegate team Vice-section delegate Substitutes role of Section Delegate when is necessary Promotion of national and international level of ESN among other members SocialErasmus implementation of SocialErasmus project on local level Main contact person for national and international SocialErasmus coordinator SocialErasmus is international project of Erasmus Student Network with main aim of integrating exchange students into new community through socially oriented projects and activities. 2.5.6 Members General members of ISC VUT are taking support role in the predefined processes. Members are usually recruited from buddies b u t i t i s n o t c o m p u l s o r y t o b e a b u d d y i f yo u w a n t t o a p p l y f o r membership but they are encouraged to participate in ISC VUT b u d d y s ys t e m . 29 2.5.7 Buddies Buddy is a local student which volunteers to help e xchange students to integrate into local environment. Further explanation of b u d d y s ys t e m i s i n c h a p t e r “ B u d d y s ys t e m ” . Team Board Team members President Vice-president Activities coordinator Treasurer Public Relations Section Delegate Vice-president’s team Vice-president IT responsible Knowledge manager Human resources Buddy coordinator Fundraiser Activities team Activities coordinator Head of Presentations of Nations Event leaders Languages coordinator Sports coordinator Party coordinator Open hours team Treasurer Office hour helpers Team of Public Relations Foto responsible Video responsible Social media coordinator Designer Section Delegate’s team Vice-section delegate SocialErasmus Table 2: Team members division (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 30 2 .6 I n t e r n a l Co mmu n i c a t i o n s t r u c t u r e Internal communication of ISC VUT is between members and buddies and main aim is to keep information flow about events, activities, open calls or any other important informa tion and it also should create positive social atmosphere which helps to provide sufficient working environment. Internal communication of ISC VUT is divided into: Active Passive emails electronic mailing list social media meetings newsletter project management application wiki (reports, minutes, guidelines cookbooks) Table 3: Internal communication of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 2 .7 A c t i v e i n t e r n a l c o mmu n i c a t i o n Emails Email server is provided by university however as email client is mostly used Gmail. For external communication within ISC VUT is strongl y recommended to use emails with domain @isc.vutbr.cz as it is p r o v i d e i m m e d i a t e r e c o g n i t i o n s a n d l e g i t i m a c y. For internal communication inside ISC VUT are members allowed to use their personal email accounts. Gmail was so far proven as best practice. List of email add resses which are currently can be found in the table 4. There was created email forwarding from the address prezident@isc.vutbr.cz confusion between to English president@isc.vutbr.cz Due word Czech “president” and to the word “prezident”. As primary domai n email is set info @isc.vutbr.cz. 31 Email Email address General information info@isc.vutbr.cz President president@isc.vutbr.cz Vice-president vice@isc.vutbr.cz Activities Coordinator activities@isc.vutbr.cz Treasurer treasurer@isc.vutbr.cz Public Relations pr@isc.vutbr.cz Section Delegate sd@isc.vutbr.cz Human Resources hr@isc.vutbr.cz Buddy Coordinator buddy@isc.vutbr.cz Presentations of the Nations presentations@isc.vutbr.cz Fundraising fr@isc.vutbr.cz IT it@isc.vutbr.cz Knowledge manager km@isc.vutbr.cz Languages languages@isc.vutbr.cz Sports sport@isc.vutbr.cz Table 4: List of email contacts of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) Electronic mailing lists General General-isc-vut-brno@googlegroups.com A n n o u n c e m e n t l i s t t yp e Used for newsletters and open calls for team positions Frequency around one email per week Information which are not urgent are cumulated in weekly newsletter Reply function is disabled Send message is onl y allowed for president, PR and IT Buddy Buddy-isc-vut-brno@googlegroups.com D i s c u s s i o n l i s t t yp e 32 Used by buddy to discuss buddy related topics among each other Team Team-isc-vut-brno@googlegroups.com D i s c u s s i o n l i s t t yp e Discussions, brainst orming, task management Elections Tips and recommendation Board Board-isc-vut-brno@googlegroups.com D i s c u s s i o n l i s t t yp e Broader discussions before transferring topic into Team mailing list to keep amount of messages at reasonable levels Operative decision making Figure 6: Electronic mailing list structure of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 33 2.7.1.1 Social media ISC VUT currently uses onl y Facebook and for internal communication between members and buddies was created Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/isc.vut.group). Members are added automatically buddies are added upon request. Main aim of this group is to create positive social atmosphere. Originally was intended to share only informal information however Facebook become popular on the level where there are quicker responses for Facebook posts than emails so occasionally urgent messages are send via Facebook posts. This phenomenon applies especially for volunteer student b ased organization where usually not so strict communication guidelines applied are . Also activity of an individual person on Facebook group is higher than on Google groups mailing list which I personally thinks is because of possibility to delete post/comment which is not possible through email communication. T yp e s o f m e s s a g e s w h i c h o c c u r s : Questions – regarding ISC VUT, student life etc. Photos Videos Viral internet content Tips and recommendations Reminders Notifications for important emails 34 Figure 7: Facebook communication of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) 2.7.1.2 Meetings Meetings of ISC VUT are very important part of internal communication as they provide environment for the fastest and most reliable face-to-face communication. Personal meetings also help with group building and forming team spirit of all members. I t w a s d e c i d e d t o h a v e b o t h m e e t i n g s a t s a m e d a y, c u r r e n t l y Monday was chosen. Board meetings are from 18:00 – 19:30 and general meetings are from 20:00 – 21:00. Topics are prepared in advance online via shared Google spreadsheet, which is send to board mailing list and as well distributed permanently on Trello card . T h e r e a r e t w o t yp e s o f m e e t i n g s b e t w e e n m e m b e r s o f I S C VUT: 35 Board meeting General meeting attendance of board members is mandatory attendance of board members is mandatory attendance of team members is voluntary attendance of members is mandatory, Discussions Brainstorming Minor operative decision Reports from events making Presentation of future attendance for buddies is voluntary events Strategy planning Major decision making Elections Table 5: ISC VUT meetings comparison (own work). 2 .8 P a s s i v e i n t e r n a l c o mmu n i c a t i o n Passive internal communication in IS C VUT has main purpose of reminding members and buddies about current and upcoming events or other relevant important information and preserving knowledge of ISC VUT. 2.8.1.1 Newsletter Newsletter in ISC VUT is special kind of email which is sent once in a week to the general Google gr oup to notify members and buddies about upcoming events of the week. Newsletter contains information as: Upcoming events of ISC VUT Open calls for vacant positions in ISC VUT Recommendations for trainings, workshops or other personal development related ev ents Information about interesting possibilities 36 projects, travelling 2.8.1.2 Project management application Trello is used as project management tool of ISC VUT. Main purpose is to provide on demand information for members about current project and tasks. Workfl ow of usage of this application was adapted to the needs of ISC VUT and for maximal level of simplicity and user friendliness there is just one board created (TIISC - Tasks Ideas of ISC) where are four lists (Ideas, Tasks – To Do, Tasks – Doing, Tasks – Done). Figure 8: Trello working environment of ISC VUT (Trello 2013) 2.8.1.3 Wiki D o k u W i k i w a s c h o s e n a s a w i k i s ys t e m o f I S C V U T . M a i n decision criteria were level of simplicity and user friendliness. Goal is preservation of ISC VUT knowledge. There are stored following documents: Reports from the events Check list of the events Cookbooks for the events Minutes from the meetings Guidelines of ISC VUT Cookbooks of ISC VUT processes 37 2 .9 B u d d y s y s t e m 2.9.1 Buddy systems at ESN in general B u d d y s ys t e m i s o n e o f t h e m a i n a c t i v i t i e s o f a n E S N s e c t i o n . Main purpose is to help incoming exchange students to easier i n t e g r a t e i n t o t h e n e w e n v i r o n m e n t ( u n i v e r s i t y, c o u n t r y) . N a m i n g o f t h e b u d d y s ys t e m s d i f f e r a m o n g E S N s e c t i o n s . T h e r e a r e v a r i a t i o n s l i k e m e n t o r s ys t e m o r t u t o r s ys t e m . A t u t o r i s a n i n s t r u c t o r w h o g i v e s p r i v a t e l e s s o n s s o t h i s n a m i n g s ys t e m w a s r e j e c t e d i m m e d i a t e l y. “ Buddy system Mentor system „operate together“ „transfer of knowledge“ Individuals / groups Greater knowledge of the „help each other“ Social coexistence Less experienced the protégé Equality between subjects training context mentor Table 6: Comparison of buddy and mentor system (own work) I t w a s c h o s e n t o u s e b u d d y s ys t e m n a m i n g a s i t f i t s m o r e t o t h e e n v i r o n m e n t o f I S C V U T b e c a u s e w o r d “ b u d d y” i n g e n e r a l creates friendlier atmosphere than word “mentor” as it indicates that both sides are equal. 2.9.2 Buddy system of ISC VUT B u d d y s ys t e m i s o n e o f t h e c o r e a c t i v i t i e s o f I S C V U T . T h e s e are mandatory activities of a buddy in the time frame of arrival of an exchange student : Period Before arrival Activity establishing contact with exchange student providing additional information regarding school or live in Brno Upon arrival providing a pickup service guiding exchange student from the place of 38 arrival in Brno to his/her accommodation After arrival helping with necessary administration (internet access, VISA, accommodation office), Czech language translation providing information upon request Table 7: Mandatory activities of a buddy (own work) After fulfilling these activities is buddy student encourage to engage any additional activities with exchange student like sharing local cultural events, travelling or any other activities of course on purely volunteer bases which mostly correlate with mutual u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d s ym p a t h y o f b o t h s t u d e n t s . 2 .1 0 E v e n t s 2.10.1 Events at ESN in general Events are one of the core activities of an ESN section. They provide possibility to see local places guided by local students and well creating an environment for social engagement between exchange students. 2.10.2 Events of ISC VUT Events in ISC VUT are divided into four categories: Category Description requires low preparation and Example Snow battle human resources Micro event can be spontaneous without lager promotion and prior registration usually some happening type of event overall risk factor is zero or very low Mini event requires a responsible person which makes necessary preparations, reservations but 39 Opera there is no need for additional help, Medium event overall risk factor is low multiple steps in preparation Brno city process rally during the event additional human resources necessary overall risk factor is medium experienced event leader major preparation phase Big event International student ball Organized team with predefined tasks and duties overall risk factor is high Table 8: Categories of ISC VUT events (own work) Overall risk factor indicates the amount of possible negative PR image impact towards exchange students as well possible financial losses. 2.10.3 Event registration process Event registration is currently done on pen and paper bases. Whole process is done on personal level. Exchange students come to the ISC VUT office during office hours and register for an event. Registration is done by sign up with their name, surname, email address, telephone number to the event spreadsheet. PROs CONs Low entry cost and requirements Direct contact with exchange student No data backup Low readability (depends on handwriting) Low user friendly level No place reservation possibility No information about full capacity No automatic reminders Table 9: Evaluation of event registration process (based on feedback from Open hours team) 40 2 .1 1 H u ma n r e s o u r c e s ma n a g e me n t 2.11.1 Human resources management in ESN at general Members and buddies are the key factor of any ESN organization. Membership management is usually done by Human Resources Manager, Buddy Coordinators or Vice -president. Process of recruitment may differ among sections but key steps are the s a m e . T h e r e a r e t w o t yp e s o f h u m a n r e s o u r c e s m a n a g e m e n t a t E S N : a. Membership management b. Buddy management Some sections also consider buddies as members of the section. For the purpose of this bachelor thesis only the main executive group of people which are in charge of functionalit y of the section will be considered as members. 2.11.2 Human resources management of ISC VUT Brno Human resources management in ISC VUT Brno is done b y H u m a n R e s o u r c e s M a n a g e r . T h e r e a r e t w o t yp e s o f r e c r u i t m e n t : a. Bulk recruitment – higher amount of applicants, ac tive promotion campaign through emails via Faculty mobility coordinators b. Continual recruitment – individuals, passive promo campaign through posters, website Target group are usually students which are coming back from mobility studies or are interested in it. 2.11.3 Membership management of ISC VUT Brno Recruitment of new members is done continually through semester. Process is done with support of Google forms and email. Process of recruitment: 41 Applicant: writes email to hr@isc.vutbr.cz -> HR: replies w i t h l i n k t o t h e G o o g l e f o r m - > i n t e r v i e w - > c o p yi n g i n f o r m a t i o n to the another spreadsheet named “ List of members” 2 .1 2 E v a l u a t i o n Evaluation conclusion of tools currently is used necessary tools to and implement processes into the which new i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m a n d w h i c h m i g h t b e o u t s o u r c e d t o a l r e a d y existing services. Process Currently used Level of platform satisfaction Communication Gmail, Facebook Very satisfied Membership Google Form, management Spreadsheet Buddy system N/A Very not satisfied Pen and paper Very not satisfied DokuWiki Very satisfied Trello Satisfied Event registration system Knowledge management Task management File storage Dropbox, Google Drive, DokuWiki Not satisfied Very satisfied Table 10: Evaluation of currently used tools (based on Board meeting feedback) From the previous table is eminent that new IS have to cover processes of membership management, buddy system and event r e g i s t r a t i o n s ys t e m . 42 3 Proposa l In this part I will describe proposal for the information s ys t e m b y d e f i n i n g r e l a t i o n v a r i a b l e s a n d p r o c e s s e s w h i c h s h o u l d b e i m p l e m e n t e d i n t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m f o r E S N s e c t i o n . Based on the data from Section questionnaire 2012 done by ESN (ESN AISBL 2013) we can see that more than half of the people which are responsible for IT in the sections do not have necessary skills for their own development or installation of standalone version of IS. Therefore I would recommend making the i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m a s w e b b a s e d s e r v i c e . T h i s a p p r o a c h w o u l d b e very user friendly and easy to implement for a new section. IT responsible - level of experience in section über (owns/works at IT company) advanced (customizing existing platforms) none 9% expert (development of own software) basic (using basic tools without customization) 5% 11% 28% 47% Figure 9: Level of experience of IT responsible in ESN sections (ESN AISBL 2013) 43 3 .1 D a t a b a s e Exchange student Buddy Pairing Event registration N:N User Event Figure 10: Relations diagram 3.1.1 Relation variables a. User b. Exchange student c. Event Member and buddy are combined into the relation variable “user” to avoid duplicity in the database. 3.1.2 User attributes Personal information Attribute Description Name Surname Gender indicates amount of experience, helps HR to predict Date of birth membership cycle (newbie -> alumni), also helps to plan joint birthday parties which empowers team dynamics Email address main virtual communication contact, needed for user account management in IS Telephone used for urgent communication, also if case of number difficulties with email communication Visual knowledge of members generate better social Picture environment inside section, personal picture helps new members to learn quicker names of current 44 members and vice versa, Facebook has been proven ineffective because of data inconsistency (people are using nick names or random charac ters instead of their names, profile pictures are random images or group pictures) Table 11: User attributes - personal information Study information Attribute HEI (university) Faculty First year at HEI Last year at HEI Description Higher Education Institution/university, required when section is managing operating over multiple universities faculty which is person studding, filed of studies give a basic perspective of experience member can already have, also can be use as criteria for buddy pairing helps HR to predict membership cycle (newbie -> alumni) expected last year at HEI/university Table 12: User attributes - study information Section information Attribute Position at section Description describe which field of activities is member currently engaged text field in which member express his/her Personal note personality, recommended is to write relevant information like text field which will be visible only to HR note HR/advance users, possible to add comments, e.g. after interview, if a person is expelled Applicant note text field with motivational letter sent during applicant registration amount of exchange students which is allowed to Buddy limit have assigned to buddy for achieving equal redistribution of exchange students among buddies Buddy preferences countries which buddy prefers, usually is countries where buddy wants to go or already been 45 for mobility studies Table 13: User attributes - section information System information Attribute Description Login name unique user name for purpose of log into the system Password for validation of the user Account status active/inactive, might be changed manually by super user time until will be account active, for buddy is Account validity usually one semester or one year and after they can ask for prolonging Account type buddy, member, buddy + member, admin, super admin Table 14: User attributes - system information 3.1.3 Exchange student attributes Personal information Attribute Description Name Surname Gender Birth date Mobile phone number home Mobile phone number local Picture some event and trips require insurance which differs if a person is over 26 years old home including country code, very useful for pick up upon arrival or during the trips or events after arrival students usually obtain local SIM card, to avoid roaming charges personal photography helps buddy to indentify person upon arrival, during events and trips is helpful for identification of a missing person Table 15: Exchange student attributes - personal information Study information Attribute Country of sending institution Description during buddy paring process buddies have preferences for exchange students from countries on which they want to go for mobility studies so 46 Sending institution (HEI, University Semester Hosting faculty they can already obtain some knowledge about the country, or countries they have already been so they have things in common gives possibility to pair buddy with exchange student of the school which buddy would like to go for mobility studies winter/summer/year, helps to keep statistics about number of students for current s emester used as pairing criteria in case is needed, local student of the same faculty as exchange student might provide more valuable information regarding studies etc. Table 16: Exchange student attributes - study information Pick up information Attribute Description Arrival date and time Place of arrival Accommodation Do you want pick up service? Pick up note helps to arrange pick up service, some buddies are not living in the city of their studies so they might need to arrange earlier coming place of arrival to the city (bus station/train station/airport dormitory, other/flat, place of accommodation, helps to plan travelling for pick up Pick up service is voluntary, exchange students are adult people and here is marked if they are interested in it or not here can exchange student write additional notes regarding his/her arrival, e.g. arrival date might change, I am arriving with group of other people Table 17: Exchange student attributes - pick up information Buddy system information Attribute Do you want buddy? Description Buddy system is voluntary and if exchange student do not want a buddy it should not be assigned to him/her automatically because it might create decrease motivation of buddy, both sides should express active agreement that they want to participate in the buddy system (buddy by applying, exchange student by choosing YES at “Do you want buddy?” question during registration) 47 Buddy note here exchange student write some basic introduction about him/herself, hobbies, interest, this information helps during pairing process to pair people which have things in common to empower future cooperation between buddy and exchange student Table 18: Exchange student attributes - buddy system information Other information Attribute Do you know ESN? ESN card number Description Answers YES/NO/I am member, first two answers are statistical and helps to predict if an additional presentation about ESN is necessary in the beginning of the semester, third answer gives section possibility to include foreign ESNers into their activities ESN card is distributed by ESN section to provide exchange students recognition, free entrance or discounts for the partners of the section Table 19: Exchange student attributes - other information 3.1.4 Event attributes: Attribute Title Event leader Capacity Price Event date Reservation deadline Registration start Registration deadline Reminder note Description possible to select from the database of members maximum amount of registered exchange students date and time on which event starts time until is possible to make reservation for spot at the event, after that time are all reservations cancelled and spots are available again for everybody time from which is possible to register exchange students, usually sets around two weeks before the event date time until is possible to register for the event, usually is set around 3 days before the event date possibility to enter variable text, which will be send in the reminder email 24h before the event Table 20: Event attributes 48 3 .2 Mo d u l e s M o d u l e s w i l l d e s c r i b e i n d e p e n d e n t p a r t s o f t h e s ys t e m w h i c h may be shown or hidden depending on the user rights. There will be four modules: a) b) c) d) S ys t e m m o d u l e User module Buddy module Event module 3.2.1 System module Homepage landing page after the user log in, contains basic description of functionalities, links for other platforms which is section using Edit homepage available only for admin Account settings possibility to edit user data, a l l o w / d i s a b l e f e a t u r e s o f t h e s ys t e m About h i s t o r y o f t h e s ys t e m , t r a c k i n g o f improvements Logout 3.2.2 User module Member list database of members Buddy list database of buddies Applicant member list list of pending application for membership waiting for approval Applicant buddy list list of pending application for budd y, waiting for approval Statistics basic statistics for the section, amount of members, buddies, Export data possibility to export data to s p r e a d s h e e t w h i c h g i v e s p o s s i b i l i t y f o r d e e p e r a n a l ys i s 3.2.3 Buddy module Buddy pairing list of available exchange students which do not have assigned b uddy student, here can buddy browse through and read buddy notes, amount of visible information will be limited to prevent any misuse of contact details or selection base on visual preferences 49 My buddy list list of exchanged students which are assigned to buddy with contact detail and picture Exchange students list list of all exchange students with contact details Statistics basic statistics for the section about amount of exchange students Manual pairing available only for HR, buddy coordinator, possibility to manually pair buddy with exchange student Export data possibility to export data for m o r e a d v a n c e d a n a l ys i s 3.2.4 Event module Event list list of all events of the section Add event possibility to create new event Print participation list list of participants with alphabetical order of participants with telephone numbers Export data possibility to export data for a n a l ys i s 3 .3 F o r ms Five forms for data entry will be needed: a) b) c) d) e) Member applicant form Buddy applicant form Exchange student registration form Event form Event reservation form 3.3.1 Member applicant form Name Name Surname Email address Telephone number Type text text text text HEI (university) list box Faculty list box First year at HEI list box Last expected year at HEI list box Features have to contain "@" and "." list of universities on which is section operating list of faculties of university selected in HEI (university) scale from -10 years from current year until current year and option "Other" scale from current year to +10 years and option "Other" 50 Applicant note text field motivation letter, limitation of 1000 characters Table 21: Member applicant form 3.3.2 Buddy applicant form Name Name Surname Email address Telephone number HEI (university) Faculty First year at HEI Last expected at HEI year Applicant note Buddy preferences Type text text text text list box list box Features list box scale from -10 years from current year until current year and option "Other" list box text field scale from current year to +10 years and option "Other" list box have to contain "@" and "." list of universities on which is section operating list of faculties of university selected in HEI (university) limitation of 500 characters countries which buddy prefers, usually is countries where buddy wants to go or already been for mobility studies Table 22: Buddy applicant form 3.3.3 Exchange student registration form Name Name Surname Gender Type text text list box Birth date calendar Address Contact email Mobile phone number home text text text Photo file Country of sending institution Sending institution (HEI, University) Semester Hosting institution (HEI, University) Host faculty Features male, female cannot select current date date before have to contain "@" and "." list box limited file size, file type *.jpg, *.png countries of the world and option "other" text list box list box list box 51 winter, summer, whole year list of HEIs, Universities where section is operating list of faculties based on selection of hosting institution Arrival date and time calendar Place of arrival list box Accommodation Do you want service? pick up Pick up note Do you want buddy? Buddy note list box list of arrival places in city (e.g. bus station, airport) dormitories and option "Other" list box yes or no text field list box text field yes or no Table 23: Exchange student registration form 3.3.4 Event form Name Title Event leader Type text text Capacity Price Event date Reservations deadline Registration start Registration deadline Reminder note Features possibility to find in the database of members If capacity=amount of registered participants than stop number allowing reservation/registrations number calendar calendar calendar calendar text Table 24: Event form 3.3.5 Event reservation form Name Type Features Unique tudent identification text student number, ESN card number list box list of events between dates "Registration start" and "Registration deadline", if capacity is reached, stop enabling possibility to reserve Event Table 24: Event registration form 3 .4 D e s c r i p t i o n o f p r o c e s s e s 3.4.1 Member recruitment Member applicant – person, membership in the section. 52 which is a p p l yi n g for HR – coordinating person from the section , this is in charge of human resources process. This mainly includes recruiting and teambuilding. 1. Applicant fills in the membership application form 2. HR gets notification email that new applicant form has been submitted 3. HR reviews applicants entry and decides wheatear to have interview with applicant or not 4. After the successful interview member applicant is confirmed as a member and HR transforms his/her applicant form into member user account 5. Applicant gets notification that his/her new user account has been created 6. HR sends welcome email to member applicant (new member) Process might be terminated in step 3 in case of sufficient member base or 4 in case of unsuccessful interview. Member applicant form is placed on section’s website under Membership -> Membership application form. Notification email is triggered after submission of membership application form. New user account notification is generated by the system and contains login name, password and link to the information s ys t e m . I t a l s o n o t i f i e s u s e r t h a t p a s s w o r d s h o u l d b e c h a n g e d a f t e r the first login. Welcome email is sent by HR section representative and contains welcoming paragraph followed by small guide for new member, with information about upcoming links/materials with information about section. 53 meeting and Submision of applicant form Notification to HR HR procedures New member Notification to applicant Approval Figure 11: Member recruitment 3.4.2 Buddy registration B u d d y a p p l i c a n t – p e r s o n , w h i c h i s a p p l yi n g f o r b u d d y s ys t e m o f t h e s e c t i o n Process buddy registration is similar to member recruitment and depends on section HR policy (requirement of an interview, motivational letter or they are accepting all applicants). 3.4.3 Exchange student registration Exchange student – student coming for mobility studies into the university (HEI) 1. Exchange student receives information email from mobility coordinator about the section and registration. 2. Exchange students receive information email from president of the section about the section and registration. 3. Exchange student fills in exchange student registration form . 4. Exchange student receive s confirmation that registration was successful with summary of data that he has provided and link for exchange student edit form. Information email from mobility coordinator is send by mobility coordinators which are taking care about study matters of 54 the mobility studies. After the successful registration for mobility studies on hosting university (HE I) is send email with basic info about section and link for registration. Best practice is that first information about the section is coming from mobility coordinators to prove credibility of the section towards university (HEI). Information email from president of the section after the section receives contact details of all exchange students. Email contains basic information about beginning of the semester, link for further information and reminder about the registration. Exchange student registration form is available on the section website at Info for incoming -> Exchange student registration form. 3.4.4 Pairing process buddy with exchange student 1 . B u d d y l o g s i n t o t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m a n d c h o o s e b u d d y pairing. 2. Buddy chooses an exchange student. 3. Exchange student’s contact details appear in his/hers “Buddy l i s t p a g e ” a n d c o n f i r m a t i o n e m a i l i s s e n d t o b u d d y. 4. Buddy sends first email to exchange student. 5. Reminder email is send to buddy 24h before arrival of exchange student if pick up was requested. During buddy pairing is amount of exchange st udent’s data l i m i t e d t o a v o i d a n y m i s u s e o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m s u c h a s dating service or other behaviour which is against ESN values . Recommended amount of visible data (based on best practice of ISC VUT Brno): Country of sending institution S e n d i n g i n s t i t u t i o n ( H E I , U n i v e r s i t y) Host faculty Arrival date and time Place of arrival Dormitory 55 D o yo u w a n t p i c k u p s e r v i c e ? Pick up note D o yo u w a n t b u d d y ? Buddy note 3.4.5 Event creation Event – trip, excursion etc. organized by section Activities coordinator – person responsible for activities and events of the section 1 . A c t i v i t i e s c o o r d i n a t o r l o g i n t o t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m a n d selects “Add event” 2 . A c t i v i t i e s c o o r d i n a t o r c r e a t e s e v e n t b y s p e c i f yi n g a l l necessary event attributes in appropriate form 3. Activity coordinator notifies particular event leader that h i s / h e r e v e n t w a s c r e a t e d i n t h e s ys t e m 3.4.6 Event reservation 1. Exchange student fill in event reservation form By s p e c i f yi n g i d e n t i f i c a t i o n i n f o r m a t i o n a n d e v e n t t h a t h e wishes to attend 2. Exchange student selects event on which he/she wants to reserve spot. 3. Exchange student receive confirmation email that he/she reserved spot for selected event. 4. Exchange student now continues with event registration process. Event reservation form is on the section website for u ser friendly access. Event is listed in event reservation form from the time of “Registration start” until “Registration deadline”. Maximum amount of reserved spots is defined by capacity of the event. Reservation deadline” is the time from which are spot s n o l o n g e r r e s e r v e d a n d t h e y a r e a g a i n a v a i l a b l e f o r e v e r yb o d y o n the first come first serve basis. Best practise shows that “registration start” is good to set at least two weeks before event date and “reservation deadline” one 56 week before event. Such dates mainly depend on nature of each e v e n t a n d i t s r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r o r g a n i z a t i o n c o m p l e x i t y. 3.4.7 Event registration 1. Exchange student comes to the office during the office hours. 2. Exchange student writes personal information on event registration paper. 3. Exchange student is marked as event participant in the event r e g i s t r a t i o n s ys t e m m o d u l e . 4. Exchange student receives information email that confirms h i s p a ym e n t f o r t h e e v e n t 5. Exchange student receive s reminder 24h before event. 3 .5 U s e r g r o u p s User group define access to the modules of the information s ys t e m a n d a l s o a m o u n t o f v i s i b l e d a t a a s w e l l p o s s i b i l i t y t o e d i t or export data. Buddy user System module User module Buddy module Member user Advance member Admin System module Homepage Edit homepage Account settings About Logout Account settings Logout Homepage Account settings Logout Homepage Account settings About Logout Member list (basic view) Buddy list (basic view) Member list Buddy list Member list Buddy list Member applicant Buddy applicant Member list Buddy list Member applicant Buddy applicant Exchange students list (basic view) Buddy pairing My buddy list Exchange students list Manual pairing Buddy pairing My buddy list Exchange students list Manual pairing Export data Event list Event module Event list Add event Print participation list Event list Add event Print participation list Export data Buddy pairing My buddy list Event module Table 25: User groups modules visibility 57 Co nclusion The goal of this bachelor thesis was to design information s ys t e m f o r E S N s e c t i o n p r o c e s s m a n a g e m e n t , w h i c h w i l l m a k e section more effective. F o r a n a l ys i s o f c u r r e n t s i t u a t i o n , I u s e d m y h o m e s e c t i o n I S C VUT Brno as model section for describing processes. Based on this a n a l ys i s , I w a s a b l e t o f o r m p r o p o s a l o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m . T h a n t h i s s ys t e m w a s i m p l e m e n t e d i n t h e I S C V U T B r n o a n d t e s t e d f o r o n e ye a r w i t h n o m a j o r c o m p l i c a t i o n s . H i g h e s t a d d e d v a l u e w a s n o t i c e d f r o m b u d d y s ys t e m p a i r i n g method, which enables very individual pairing and increase mutual motivation for cooperation of buddy and exchange student . Online r e g i s t r a t i o n s ys t e m s a v e s t i m e a n d i n c r e a s e t r a n s p a r e n c y i n c a s e o f overbooked events. Member database provides internal social p l a t f o r m , w h i c h e n a b l e s f a s t e r i n t e g r a t i o n o f n e w m e m b e r s . S ys t e m proved itself to be stable and ready to be implemented to other sections. During the ESN international events, such as Annual General Meeting, Council of National Delegates, Council of National Representatives I was confronting my ideas and feedback from testing with the best practises from other sections and I came to conclusion that there is no standard described how the core processes of ESN section should look like. I n o r d e r t o b e a b l e t o s h a r e s u c h i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m w i t h other sections, we have created “Project SectionBox” (SectionBox 2013). Project is based on combining description of processes from s e c t i o n s a n d i m p l e m e n t i n g t h e m i n t o t h e s ys t e m . This should set up a basic quality standard for Erasmus care provided by ESN section. Also helps to continuously upgrade s ys t e m b y i m p l e m e n t i n g n e w f e a t u r e s , w h i c h m i g h t c o m e w i t h 58 every new section. All the time and human resource savings can be invested into providing better services to exchange students and further section development. European Commission for education, training, yo u t h a n d sport made a proposal by for the new programme “Erasmus for all” for the period of 2014 -2020 with significant increase of funds allocated for the development of knowledge and skills (European Commission 2013, p. 12). In the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2014 -2020 is stated: “It is strongly recommended that the receiving institution establishes a student network, such as an ESN (Erasm us Student Network) section which could run the buddy system and share good practice with other sections around Europe.“ (European Commission 2013). These are the main indicators that Erasmus Student Network will continue its functionality and even take care about increased n u m b e r s o f e x c h a n g e s t u d e n t s . T h e r e f o r e t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m might be very helpful providing more professionalization effectiveness to all sections. . 59 and References ACUNA, Silvia T. (2005). A Software Process Model Handbook for Incorporating People's Capabilities . pp.9-11. BRANDON, Dan. Project management for modern information s y s t e m s . H e r s h e y, P A : I R M P r e s s , c 2 0 0 6 , x i i , 4 1 7 p . I S B N 1 5 - 9 1 4 0695-1. ESN AISBL. 2013. ESN International. [accessed 16 -5-2013] Availible at: http://esn.org/ ESN AISBL. 2013. Section Questionaire 2012. Brussels: ESN AISBL. ESN CZ. 2013. [online] ESN Czech Republic. [accessed 16-5-2013] Availible at: http://esn-cz.cz/esn/ European Commission. 2013. . [online] Education & training: Erasmus for all. [accessed 16-5-2013 ] Availible at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus-for-all/ European Commission. 2013. . [online] Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 20142020 . [accessed 16-5-2013] Availible at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/funding/2014/documents/annotated_guidelines_en.pdf CHURCHER, Clare. 2007. Beginning Database Design. New York City: Apress, 272 s. 978-1590597699. ISC VUT Brno. 2013. . [online] International Students Club. [accessed 16-5-2013] Availible at: www.isc.vutbr.cz VALACICH, Christoph. 2007. Information Systems Today. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 624 s. 978-0132335065. KEN LAUDON, Jane. 2009. Management Information Systems. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 672 s. 978-0136078463. 60 KOCH, M.; NENIČKOVÁ, H.; HRŮZA,T.; DOVRTĚL, J. Management informačních systémů. Brno : CERM, 2010. 171 s. ISBN 978-80-214-4157- 6 LOUIS M. REA, Richard. 1997. Designing and Conducting Survey Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 272 s. 978-0787908102. NAEP. 2013. Program Erasmus. [cit. ] Availible at: http://www.naep.cz/erasmus RAMEZ ELMASRI, Shamkant. 2003. Fundamentals of Database Systems. Boston: Addison Wesley, 1009 s. 978-0321122261. SectionBox. 2013. . [online] SectionBox. [accessed 16-5-2013] vailible at: https://sectionbox.org/ Trello. 2013. . [online] Trello Board: TIISC (Task and Ideas of ISC VUT). [accessed 16-5-2013] Availible at: https://trello.com/board/tiisc-tasks-ideas-ofisc/5184c5ba5048285c7b0061e1 61 List o f figures Figure 1: Data, information, knowledge (VALAC ICH, 2007, p. 20). ......................................................................................... 12 F i g u r e 2 : I n f o r m a t i o n s ys t e m ( K O C H , 2 0 1 0 , p . 5 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Figure 3: Example of relationship diagram (ELMASRI, 2003, p. 52). ................................................................................... 18 Figure 4: Implementation of IS ( BRANDON, 2006, p. 84) .......... 20 Figure 5: ISC VUT organization chart (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ...... 22 Figure 6: Electronic mailing list structure of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ......................................................................... 33 Figure 7: Facebook communication of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ................................................................................. 35 Figure 8: Trello working environment of ISC VUT (Trello 2013) 37 Figure 9: Level of experience of I T responsible in ESN sections (ESN AISBL 2013) ............................................................... 43 Figure 10: Relations diagram ................................................. 44 Figure 11: Member recruitment .............................................. 54 List o f ta bles Table 1: Teams division (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ........................ 24 Table 2: Team members division (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ............ 30 Table 3: Internal communication of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ................................................................................. 31 Table 4: List of email contacts of ISC VUT (ISC VUT Brno 2013) ......................................................................................... 32 Table 5: ISC VUT meetings comparison (own work). ............... 36 T a b l e 6 : C o m p a r i s o n o f b u d d y a n d m e n t o r s ys t e m ( o w n w o r k ) . . . . 3 8 Table 7: Mandatory activities of a buddy (own work) ............... 39 Table 8: Categories of ISC VUT events (own work) ................. 40 Table 9: Evaluation of event registration process (based on feedback from Open hours team) ............................................ 40 62 Table 10: Evaluation of currently used tools (based on Board meeting feedback) ................................................................ 42 Table 11: User attributes - personal information ...................... 45 Table 12: User attributes - study information .......................... 45 Table 13: User attributes - section information ....................... 46 T a b l e 1 4 : U s e r a t t r i b u t e s - s ys t e m i n f o r m a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6 Table 15: Exchange student attributes - personal information .... 46 Table 16: Exchange student attributes - study information ........ 47 Table 17: Exchange student attributes - pick up information ...... 47 Table 1 8 : E x c h a n g e s t u d e n t a t t r i b u t e s - b u d d y s ys t e m i n f o r m a t i o n ......................................................................................... 48 Table 19: Exchange student attributes - other information ......... 48 Table 20: Event attributes .................................................... 48 Table 21: Member applicant form .......................................... 51 Table 22: Buddy applicant form ............................................ 51 Table 23: Exchange student registration form .......................... 52 Table 24: Event form ........................................................... 52 Table 25: Event registration form .......................................... 52 Table 26: User groups modules visibility ................................ 57 63 Appendices Appendix 1: User module ..................................................... 65 Appendix 2: Buddy module ................................................... 66 Appendix 3: Event module ................................................... 67 A p p e n d i x 4 : S ys t e m m o d u l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 8 64 Appendix 1: User module Appendix 2: Buddy module Appendix 3: Event module Appendix 4: System module